


Escape

by Sarcelle



Category: Star Wars Legends: The Old Republic
Genre: Angst, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-28
Updated: 2018-09-28
Packaged: 2019-07-18 15:34:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,061
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16121480
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sarcelle/pseuds/Sarcelle





	1. Chapter 1

Oblyviian shook his sister’s shoulder lightly. His tiny frame hovered over her small bed in the room the two siblings shared. The pain in his face stabbed him with every movement he made, yet he did his best to ignore it. He needed to use more effort to wake her; she always was a heavy sleeper afterall. Yelping quietly at the pain, the two bags that were slung on his shoulder dropped to the floor. He violently shook her shoulder, harder than he had the first few attempts. “Luce, come on. You gotta wake up.”

Luciienne groaned as she rolled over to face her brother. She sleepily rubbed her eyes as her brother became clearer, more in focus. She reached up to his face to touch where blood had begun to dry. “Lyv…? What?”

His tone was harsh. Urgent. Desperate. Yet still soft in volume. “Wake up, Luce. We gotta go.” 

He couldn’t take the chance of waking their parents who were in the next room. The child feared them far too much to take the risk. And he certainly couldn’t waste the time explaining the cut on his face to her. That could wait for later. At least by then, they’d be far away.

She knew he meant business. She didn’t continue to question him further. Her older brother was only harsh with her when it was necessary. She learned from an early age that it was for her safety, sometimes both of their safety, for her to listen when he was like this. It only took one time of not listening to him for her to learn. After that incident, she knew immediately that she had to listen to him from then on.

Luciienne sat up and stretched her back. Her curly brown hair stood up in all directions from her sleep. Her voice was raspy in her sleepy state. “Go where?”

“I don’t know yet. We just have to leave. Now.” The plan was still forming in his young mind. It was the honest truth - he did not yet know what he they were going to do. It had only been within the past hour that he had decided to leave. He knew it was a matter of life and death - not just for one of them, but for them both. He saw the chance to leave and he had to take it. He had to get them moving. That step of the plan was clear. Once they were on the move, he would find the next step. And then the next. Every step, he would figure it out until he was certain, without a doubt, they were safe.

“Get dressed and then we’ll go. Do you need help?” Lyv handed her the change of clothes that he had placed on her bed while packing. He was already dressed, unlike her in her pajamas. He hadn’t gotten in his that night. Not when he saw the chance to leave this personal hell. 

“No. I can do it myself.” She stated proudly as she slipped the old shirt, a hand-me-down of Oblyviian’s, over her head. The little girl had just turned four within the past few days. She was extremely proud of any form of independence. “I’m not a baby.”

Ignoring the pain, Oblyviian picked up the two bags and placed one on each shoulder, then grabbing her hand to lead her towards their bedroom door. “Let’s get going, okay? We’ll figure out where we’re headed, but we just have to keep moving for now.”

“Wait!” She pulled away from him, dragging him backwards slightly.

“We don’t have time for-” He began lecturing her frustratedly, but she cut him off. 

“My friend has to come with us!” She pointed towards the bed. The stuffed animal that Oblyviian stole for her laid next to her pillow. With pleading eyes, she began to beg.“Please, Lyv. I can’t leave him behind…”

“Okay.” Lyv let her hand go as she ran the few steps to the bed. He knew it wasn’t worth fighting his younger sister on this. She needed that little piece of comfort and he would do anything for her. Anything.

Luciienne clutched the animal to her chest after taking it from her bed. She ran back to her brother, who held out his hand for her.

“But he has to go in the bag, okay? In case we need to run.” Lyv set the bag full of his clothes down momentarily. He knew both bags were too full to fit anything else, so he pulled out a pair of his pants and threw them on the ground. He didn’t need an extra pair of pants anyway. Holding out his hand for the stuffed animal, he looked at his little sister and nodded.

“Okay.” She mumbled sadly as she gave it one more hug before giving it over to her brother. As soon as he took it, he placed it in the bag gently. “Thanks, Lyv.”

Oblyviian straightened himself upright and put the bag back on his shoulder. He held his hand out again, which met his sister’s instantly. “Let’s go.”


	2. Chapter 2

Oblyviian wiped his face with his shoulder. The blood that had crusted over broke back open, causing him to wince in pain. They’d been walking for at least three hours now by his estimation. The two children were tired, exhausted really, but they kept moving anyway.

“Your face is bleeding?” Luciienne gripped his hand tighter as she looked up at her brother. He hadn’t let go of her since leaving their shack of a house. And he had no intention of doing so anytime soon.

Another wipe of the shoulder brushed away the blood that had pooled there. Lyv grunted in acknowledgement, hoping she would drop the subject. It’s not like he wanted to talk about what happened. He always hid the bruises from her, from everyone. And it pained him to have this mark show. 

“Why?” She stopped moving then. Their arms stretched as far as they would go as Lyv kept trying to pull her along. But the four-year old took root in her spot. She was surprisingly stable for being so small.

Lyv took a step back so their arms wouldn’t stretch further. He knew she wouldn’t move. And he was far too tired to carry her. “Listen, Luce. I never told you how bad our parents actually are.”

“I know they’re bad guys, Lyv.” Luciienne looked at the floor as she kicked her foot against the pavement.

“Yes, but I didn’t want you knowing how bad. Not in the ways that I know. I had to protect you...” He resituated the bags on his shoulder with his free hand, the weight becoming more apparent as they stood still.

“Oh.”

She was too young to understand. Lyv knew that as a fact. He’d learned how terrible his parents were five years ago, when he was just a year younger than she was now. He remembered every detail of the moment his world shattered. He didn’t want to destroy her world the same way it happened to him. But he had to explain. He owed it to her to explain why he uprooted her in the middle of the night.

“I’ll tell you everything, okay?” He sniffled, feeling the stabbing pain in his face as his cheeks moved. He almost liked it, the pain. Almost. It was at least better than talking about it. “But we have to keep moving.”

Luciienne nodded silently. The tone in his voice, the deep gash on his face… the child became increasingly worried in the silence. Taking one step forward, Oblyviian followed suit. Their pace slowed from that of before as they felt the exhaustion beginning to hit harder.

“Mom and dad…” Lyv began, unsure of how to explain to this young mind. “They’re not good people. You know their business, and what they do. And how we were to never go near the powder because it would kill us. But they hurt people, lots of people. Including me.”

“Hurt people? But you always say-”

“I know what I say, Luce. I tell you that so you- I mean we- don’t turn out like them. We can never be like them, okay?”

“I promise, Lyv. I won’t hurt anyone.” Her tone dropped as she began feeling like she was being lectured. 

He saw the gears in her mind turning. She was taking in everything he said. Processing it. It always impressed him how smart she was. He needed to give her that credit.

A moment passed before either of them spoke again. Her young voice chimed in again. “So they hurt you…”

“Yeah, Luce. Dad hurt me.”

“The cut on your face-”

There was no time to cry. Not now, not while she was with him. But the tears welled up anyway for Oblyviian. “Dad was angry. He was using that spice again. And I shouldn’t have said anything, but I had to. They were going to-” He paused again. He couldn’t tell her how he overheard his parents discussing her incident. The one where she threw a tantrum and bottles fell on the floor. He wasn’t about to make this about her, make her feel guilty for being on the run. He would take the fall. He always took the fall. 

“Look Luce, they were going to do something bad to someone. Hurt them bad. So I said something. And dad cut my face for doing that. Said I had to learn.”

It got quiet again, the only noise coming from the crowd they were approaching. The next step in his plan became apparent just a few minutes after they left. They’d headed for the spaceport nearest their house. It was still a far walk, especially for smaller legs. He knew the walk well enough, his parents sent him there on a weekly basis. It was only a few blocks away at this point.

“Well maybe he should be the one to learn that it isn’t nice to hurt others.” Luciienne stated angrily. As if she would be the one to teach him. And maybe by leaving, they had done so.

Oblyviian chuckled at his sister, her sense for justice being one of her best qualities. Along with her righteousness, it was such a refreshing combination in his mess of a life. It fulfilled him in most situations. Frustrated him in others, primarily when he was the one who was wrong. She always found a way to correct him on that.

Luciienne spoke again when her brother hadn’t responded to her before. “Are you hurting?”

Oblyviian nodded, avoiding looking down. “A little. But it’s nothing I can’t handle. Besides, we’re almost there.”

“We could find a doctor for you. Those droids always make me feel better when I’m hurting.”

Oblyviian rolled his eyes and sighed. “We’re not doing that, Luce. We don’t have time.” Or credits. He thought as he clenched his fist in anger. How did I not think about credits… I could’ve taken some before leaving.

“But Lyv!”

“I said no.”

Luciiene groaned angrily at her brother. He’s always been stubborn, always knowing what he wants, even if it’s not what’s best. She mumbled under her breath. “I’m just saying it would be smart.”

The anger boiled over. He was beyond exhausted at this point. He was in pain. Cranky. He began to raise his voice, mostly so she would just stop. He hated, more than anything, to be told he was stupid. He’d been told that by his parents everyday. “Dammit Luciienne. What part of ‘no’ do you not understand!?”

Luciienne did not like getting yelled at. Her voice quivered as tears began to form in her eyes. “You don’t have to be mean. I just want… you to not hurt.”

Tears now streamed down her face as she wailed. Like most young children, she always cried when she was tired. He did not want a meltdown on his hands. “I’m sorry, okay? I’m sorry. We just can’t go to a doctor. Not now.”

“But can…” She sniffled, trying to compose herself after hearing his apology. “Will you go later?”

“I promise,” Lyv began. Taking his hand from hers and putting it on her shoulder as they continued to walk. He rubbed it gently, then brought it to her upper back and continued to comfort her. “As soon as I know we’re safe, I will see a doctor.”

“When will that be?” She asked. “Where are we going?”

Lyv huffed. He could see the screen for the departures in the distance. The ticket counter. Despite it being the middle of the night, there was still a fairly large crowd. Llanic was always bustling with people. Smugglers, miners of spice, and other shady characters. “I still don’t know. But we’ll figure it out. I promise that too.”


	3. Chapter 3

The two children stood in front of the departures screen. Oblyviian was thankful for one thing, his parents taught him how to read the transport schedules. At least they had done that for him, even if it was for him to aid them in transporting spice. No one would ever suspect a child, he’d been told. And they had been right. No one looked twice at him.

They didn’t look twice at the two of them now either as Oblyviian stood there with his sister’s hand in his. She fidgeted next to him. Tapping her feet as she stood, hopping in place. Talking non-stop. Annoyed wasn’t even half of how he was feeling. The exhaustion he felt was making it hard to focus and his sister wasn’t making it any better.

“Would you please cut it out?” He rubbed his temples and closed his eyes. “You’re not making this any easier.”

“Lyv…” She whined. “I’m bored. And tired.”

He whined back, mocking her. “If you’re so tired, then why are you so hyper?”

“‘Cause I’m trying to stay awake, duh.” Luciienne rolled her eyes as she looked up at her brother. “Where are we going?”

“Don’t know yet.”

“Well… when will you know?”

His tone became more irritated by the second. “I don’t know, Luce. I’ll let you know as soon as I know anything.”

After she sighed again, the sweet sound of silence came between them. He closed his eyes and tried to focus again. Taking a deep breath, he opened them to look at the departures board once more. He scanned it quickly for the travel times it would take to reach another planet and be off Llanic for good. Tatooine seemed like the best choice. It wasn’t far from Llanic, and it seemed like a decent amount of ships were headed there. 

“I’m tired…” She continued to whine. Her voice thick with sleepiness. 

“I know. Believe me, I know.”

“Do you know where we’re going yet?”

“Maybe.” He continued looking at the board. His plan was somewhat forming. The only issue was credits and getting aboard a ship.

He figured he had a few options. He could pick-pocket people for credits. And likely piss off his sister. He could find a way to make credits fast, though that was the least probable of the options. Only way he knew how to do that was to ask people for money, and Llanic didn’t exactly attract the most sympathetic crowd. Or he could find a way to sneak on a ship.

After thinking for a moment, he decided to go with the latter of the options. He memorized the dock number for the next ship to Tatooine. “Okay, Luce. I have a plan.”

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

He had done it once or twice, sneaking aboard ships. His parents sent him to the spaceport often enough, usually with some sort of delivery. The two exited the main entrance of the spaceport, hand-in-hand, and back into the shadows of the night.

“Where are we going, Lyv?” Luciienne begged him. “I thought we were getting on a ship.”

“We are. Just not in the traditional way.” He squeezed her hand tight, twice, reassuring her that everything was okay.

“Why not?”

“Taking a transport costs credits. Credits that we don’t have.” He informed her as they snuck around the side of the building, avoiding the lights that lit up the pathway. Lurking in the shadows.. “But don’t worry, I know how we can get to a ship.”

Luciienne nodded quietly. Oblyviian thanked the stars that she didn’t have another question to follow his response. The silence was more than welcome after the extreme noise of the terminal. And he knew it would continue up again the second they got into the shipyard.

They heard the noise before they could see the door. One small light lit the doorway; enough to see how to get in, but not enough to cause any alarm. He paused at the entrance, staring at the keypad. His father had given him a code to use when he started sending him on his “errands”. It was a risk to use the code, sure. But by the time anyone noticed the code had been used, they’d be far from Llanic.

“How are we going to get in? There’s a code?” His sister piped up. Speaking for the first time in at least ten minutes.

He didn’t answer her, just smirked as he began to type in the keycode. The door beeped before it opened, signaling that the code had worked. He breathed a sigh of relief. 

“Good job, Lyv!” Luciienne squealed happily as she took her hand from his and pat him on the back.

“Hey, maybe our parents were good for something.” He laughed painfully at the thought. “At least their code works so we can get the hell away from them.”

“Their code? How do you know their code?” She inquired further.

Oblyviian shrugged as he grabbed her hand once more, refusing to let her go for even a second. He knew the area they were about to get into would be rough, especially on a little girl. “Just from errands they would send me on.”

“Is that where you’d go late at night when I was supposed to be sleeping?”

“You knew I left?”

“Yeah. I woke up every time. I couldn’t sleep without you there.” She nodded as she informed him. She hadn’t told him before, even though she wanted to desperately. She was always curious, but she had the feeling that she wasn’t supposed to know. “I worried about where you were.” 

“I’m sorry Luce. I didn’t tell you because I didn’t want you to worry. That’s too much for a four-year-old to handle.” And yet it always seems to happen. He added, keeping the last part to himself. She always worried about him, cared for him. She was all he had in this world to care for him. He always appreciated that. “Maybe I don’t give you as much credit as you deserve.”

“Should have told me why.” She stated.

“I know, I know.” He sighed as she lectured him. “I promise, I’ll tell you everything from now on.”

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thankfully, it wasn’t a far walk to the ship. Oblyviian could see the dock number from the door. For not having a plan from the start, things had surprisingly gone well so far. For the first time in his life, he felt lucky.

He positioned them behind one of the first pile of cargo boxes, ducking his head so he wasn’t visible. He may be short for his age, his growth stunted by neglect, but the eight-year-old was still tall enough that he could be seen much easier than his sister. “So here’s what we have to do. We move quickly from crate to crate until we reach that ship. I’ll tell you when to move. Don’t stand in the open, okay?”

“Okay, Lyv.” She nodded as she took in the directions he gave.

Lyv pointed out the first crate to her. She shook her head once more in acknowledgement and crept quickly over to the box. He followed, doing the same crouched movement. “You did great, Luce. Now do that again to each box.”

They moved to another box, and then another. Several boxes until they were near the ship. Panting as he tried to catch his breath, he pat his sister on the back. But it was her who spoke first. “Lyv, are we almost done. I’m so tired.”

“Just one more step, okay, sis? You can do this.” He rubbed her back comfortingly, as he had since she was born. “You can sleep as soon as we get in the ship. We both will.”

He explained the last step, which was getting on the ship. She understood this too. He wouldn’t have them run away, only to get caught and sent back. Oblyviian wanted this to be final, the absolute end of being with their parents. Grabbing her hand once more, he whispered the final step of the plan. “This time, we’re just going to run for the doors. Be as quiet as you can. Even in your steps, be quiet. I’ll tell you when, and you’ll run beside me. I’ll get us on that ship.”

Oblyviian caught another break. A maintenance worker walked off the ship, leaving the door open. He must be planning on coming back in just a moment so now was their-

“Now, Luce. Run.”

Lyv took the first step towards the ship as it took a brief second for Luciienne to compute what he had said. They ran up the ramp and onto the ship. Sprinting through the doors, and into the long corridor that ran through the ship. 

Oblyviian had been on a ship like this before. And if his memory served him right, the entrance to the stairs that led to the cargo bay would be- 

Just a few doors down from the ship exit. Ah yes. There they are. He smirked, knowing he’d won for once. 

They were safely inside the ship. And inside the cargo bay. He had no idea how he managed it, but they were safe for now. He could breathe.

He led his sister behind the crates that were furthest from the door. A perfect crevice where the two of them could fit. The boxes had been piled up in a way that created the perfect alcove. He lifted his sister up and onto the boxes, which practically made a bed for her. He would sleep on the ground.

“We’re here. We can finally rest.” Dropping their bags to the floor, he pulled out Luciienne’s stuffed animal, and one of his t-shirts. While she reunited herself with her stuffed animal, hugging it tightly to her chest, he crumbled the t-shirt into a ball and handed it to her. “It may not be a pillow… but you need to rest your head.”

He watched as Luciienne got comfortable up on the boxes. He stood on one of the smaller crates that was just below where she lay and pet the top of her head. “I’m going to be down on the floor. If you need me, wake me up. Just like at home.”

“Okay, Lyv.” She yawned, her breathing becoming deeper. “I will.”

Oblyviian kissed the top of her head. “Sweet dreams, Luce.”

“Night.” Luciienne whispered. “Love you, Lyv.”

“I love you too.” More than you know.


	4. Chapter 4

_Oblyviian lurked in the shadows that filled the hallway of their small house to eavesdrop on his arguing parents. He’d already put his sister to sleep for the night; it was his job to do so each night. Not that he minded of course. She rarely caused any sort of fuss for him anyway. And each night she begged him for a story, which he would create on the spot._

_That night, he’d heard the arguing intensify during that story-telling. Luckily, he was able to distract her enough until she fell asleep. It was a blessing and a curse how she could always sleep through the loudest noises._

_It became apparent immediately that his parents were intoxicated, as they always were at night. They worked as spice traders during the day, and at night they used a significant part of their earnings on the exact spice they traded. Oblyviian knew to look for the signs of intoxication before interacting with them at all. When they were, it often left him with bruises, welts, and cuts._

_“You saw what happened, we were both there!” His father yelled to his mother. “She threw a tantrum, and the bottles flew. That was no accident. She did that.”_

_His mother’s voice was significantly softer than that of his father’s, but still angry. “All I’m saying is that I don’t know how it happened. And this isn’t something that we can just assume.”_

_“I know what it is. She’s force-sensitive. Do you have any idea how much money the Empire will give us for her?”_

_“We can’t sell our kid.”_

_“Sure we can. We still got the one, and he can keep running supplies for us. Can always make another, if you want.”_

_Oblyviian gasped. They were wanting to sell Luciienne over to the Empire. To take his sister away from him, and put her through who-knows-what kind of torture they put their Sith through. He’d heard stories of just how awful training for the Sith could be. And how they often get killed in the process. He was frozen against the wall, unable to react or move._

_“We can’t sell her.” His mother stated one more time._

_“You know what, that’s exactly what we’re going to do.” There was a loud smack, which Oblyviian assumed was to his mother’s face. Exactly where his father typically hit her. “And try to stop me, see what happens.”_

_Oblyviian inhaled deep before breaking his cover, exposing himself in the doorway. “I won’t let you take her away!”_

_His father pushed his mother off of him, creeping over to the doorway where Oblyviian stood. “I would really like to see you try, kid. Try to stop me.”_

_“She’s not going anywhere. I won’t let you. I’ll die in her place.” Oblyviian continued to shout._

_“Don’t.” His mother pleaded as she rubbed her face, the red mark from his father’s hand becoming more apparent._

_“You can stop him!” He shouted towards his mother. “Do something! You guys can’t do this to Luciienne. She’ll die-”_

_Oblyviian’s words were cut off at the sound of his father opening his pocket knife. The rusty spring snapping into place, squeaking loudly as he opened it. Oblyviian backed himself into the wall, trying to get away from the larger man that stood before him._

_He was trapped._

_“You’re not going to stand between me and thousands of credits.” His father’s arm swung forward, holding the blade out to Oblyviian’s face._

_Oblyviian closed his eyes as he braced for the hit. There was no time to cry or beg. Begging never did any good anyway. He just balled his fists and closed his eyes._

_The knife made contact. One sharp movement of the blade. Blood instantly began to pour from the wound in his face._

_“Okay, okay.” Oblyviian cried as he reached up to his face. His eyes were still shut, not wanting to see the blood for himself. “I won’t, please don’t kill me.”_

_If he kills me, I can’t save my sister. My sister needs me. Oblyviian kept the thought to himself, not wanting to play all his cards before his father._

_“That’s more like it. You should learn to keep your opinions to yourself. I’m the man of this family, what I say goes.” His father wiped the blade on his pants, Oblyviian’s blood leaving a small red streak on the dark grey his father was wearing._

_“Yes sir.” Oblyviian finally opened his eyes, horrified at the amount of blood on his hand._

_“You better go clean that up.” His mother directed him._

_Oblyviian nodded, sulking away as he kept his hand to his cheek. Once he was in the bathroom, he grabbed a towel from the hook on the wall and pressed it against his cheek, attempting to get the blood to clot. It took longer than usual to get the bleeding to stop. Typically they were smaller cuts, in easier places to hide. Not this time, this one was beyond visible. It stood out immediately the second he looked at himself in the mirror._

_He took part of the towel that was not soaked in blood and ran it through the water. He was careful to clean his face, even though he wanted to scream the second the water touched his skin. Gritting his teeth, he finished cleaning himself._

_As he opened the door, he could hear his parents talking again. This time significantly quieter. “Tomorrow morning, we’ll take her to the spaceport and get her to someone in the Empire.”_

_That moment, a plan began to form. He wasn’t going to let there be a tomorrow for them. He was going to find a way to get the two of them out of there. If he didn’t, he knew he would die in the process. And then nobody would protect Luciienne from their parents. Or the Empire._

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Tears streamed down Oblyviian’s face as he recalled the events leading up to their escape. For the first time since leaving, he allowed himself to truly cry.

Despite being so horribly exhausted, he couldn’t sleep. His parents voices stood out in his mind. He kept hearing the spring squeak from his father’s knife. And the pain in his cheek was a constant reminder of that day. He kept reliving every second of those few mintues, over and over again. His mind would not give him a break.

He turned his body away from the light, his back to his sister. Looking at her kept the pain in the forefront of his mind. He’d done all of this for her. And he would do it again, without a doubt. But it didn’t hurt any less knowing that.

The rocking of the ship as it flew through hyperspace eventually lulled him to sleep. Exhaustion took over despite the thoughts in his mind. They stayed there as he slept as well, tormenting him.

It wasn’t until the ship lurched as it landed that Oblyviian awoke suddenly. There was a loud thud as something hit the ground. And then the cries of his sister.


End file.
